See, for me, I could care less. I don't watch soaps for that. It's about the story for me.

I don't watch soaps for that either, but one can't deny that such things can become very distracting. When you factor things in like low budget, bad production values, bad acting, etc. it can really dampen one's enjoyment of an entertainment program.

Case in point: MTV's Spyder Games. The writing for that show was excellent, IMO. However, it had a two dollar budget and much of the acting was less than stellar for many of the roles. I still appreciated it for what it was and I certainly appreciated the writing, but the other factors really brought the show down. As much as I would like to ignore these things, they DO matter and they DO make a difference -- otherwise every TV show would have a two dollar budget and still achieve massive ratings.

Oh, I won't deny that it's not distracting nor that it does not have an effect. I just think it bothers some more then others.

I try not to focus too much on superficial things like that. Maybe that is not the best word to describe what I'm trying to say but it's all I got. I can tolerate actors and actresses looking like shit or special effects sucking or whatever if I, personally, feel the stories are good and I'm engrossed by the characters and what is going on.